Fasig-Tipton February: Sovereign Award finalist Roxy Gap brings $850,000, to remain in training

Sovereign Award finalist Roxy Gap sold for $850,000 to Fred Hertrich's Watercress Farm Monday night at the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky winter mixed sale.

The 5-year-old Indian Charlie mare was offered as a racing or broodmare prospect by Taylor Made Sales, agent, for Eugene Melnyk's Winding Oaks Farm. Melnyk, a multiple Sovereign Award-winning owner and breeder, plans to exit the breeding business and concentrate on maintaining a quality racing string. He is selling the majority of his remaining broodmares and broodmare prospects at Fasig-Tipton.

“She’s a beautiful race filly, and Mr. Melnyk told me probably the top filly in Canada,” Hertrich said. “Hopefully, he wins a Sovereign Award with her.”

A stakes winner at ages 2 and 3, Roxy Gap blossomed last season, winning the Grade 2 Hendrie Stakes, Grade 3 Whimsical Stakes, and Grade 3 Royal North Stakes. She is a Sovereign Award finalist for champion older female, champion turf female, and champion female sprinter. The awards are presented in April.

“When we handicapped her, we thought she would bring a little bit more money,” Hertrich said. “It’s hard to buy those. With these real nice mares, if you want one of them, you have to be the last bidder.”

The mare has won seven of 16 starts, winning or placing in 11 stakes events, for earnings of $866,281.

Hertrich said that Roxy Gap would remain in training with a syndicate of which he is a member. However, the plans for her future campaign were still up in the air, at least for a few more hours.

“That’s going to be decided tonight, about 9 o’clock, probably in a bar,” he joked.

Roxy Gap is out of the winning Saint Ballado mare Harts Gap, dam of three winners from as many starters. It is the family of stakes winner and Grade 3 placed Yate's Black Cat.